Crete awaits immigrants being towed on crippled vessel

Local authorities and Red Cross volunteers on Crete are racing to prepare shelter and food for hundreds of immigrants on a crippled freighter being towed to safety by a Greek navy frigate.

A day after it suffered engine failure in international waters, the 250ft Baris cargo ship carrying 700 men, women and children trying to enter Europe – one of the largest boat-loads of the kind in recent years – is being towed at a speed of just over 3mph.